Best Task Management Apps in 2026: Todoist vs TickTick vs Things 3 vs Microsoft To Do vs Any.do

How We Evaluated These Task Managers

We assessed each app on five practical criteria: core task capture and organization, scheduling and calendar integration, collaboration features, platform coverage, and pricing at the individual and small-team level. We also weighed long-term maintenance signals—update cadence, sync reliability, and whether the vendor has a clear business model—because a task app becomes a daily habit and switching costs are real. Feature checklists matter less than how quickly you can add a task, reschedule it, and trust that it appears on every device. We tested the free tiers first, since most buyers start there, then compared paid plans for reminders, filters, and project sharing. No app wins on every axis: Todoist leads on natural-language input and cross-platform consistency, TickTick packs the most features per dollar, Things 3 offers the most polished Apple-only experience, Microsoft To Do is the best free option inside Microsoft 365, and Any.do targets simplicity with a built-in calendar and WhatsApp reminders.

Todoist: The Cross-Platform Standard

Todoist remains the safest default for individuals and small teams who work across Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and the web. Its natural-language input is still the best in this group: typing "pay rent every 1st at 9am #home" creates a recurring task with a project and due time in one line. The free plan covers five active projects, one week of activity history, and basic reminders, which is enough to evaluate the workflow but not to run a life. Todoist Pro costs about $5 per month billed annually (or $6 monthly) and adds unlimited projects, labels, filters, reminders, and a calendar layout; Business runs about $8 per user per month and adds shared workspaces and admin controls. Weaknesses: no built-in calendar view on the free tier, no native note-taking beyond task comments, and collaboration is project-sharing rather than true team chat. If you want one app that behaves the same everywhere and you live in keyboard shortcuts, Todoist is the benchmark.

TickTick: The Feature-Packed Value Pick

TickTick is the choice when you want more built-in tools without paying for three separate apps. It combines tasks, a calendar view, a Pomodoro timer, habit tracking, and a simple Eisenhower-matrix priority view in one interface. The free plan includes unlimited tasks and lists, calendar view, and basic reminders, which already beats Todoist's free tier for personal use. Premium costs about $35.99 per year (roughly $3 per month) and adds a full calendar integration, custom smart lists, more reminders, and a monthly activity report. TickTick's natural-language parsing is good but slightly less forgiving than Todoist's, and its interface is denser, which can overwhelm users who just want a clean list. Collaboration exists through shared lists and assignments but is less mature than Todoist's or Microsoft's. For students, freelancers, and anyone who wants habits and focus timers next to tasks, TickTick offers the best feature-per-dollar ratio in this comparison.

Things 3: The Polished Apple-Only Option

Things 3 is the most carefully designed app in this group, and it is also the most constrained. It runs only on Apple platforms—iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro—with no web or Android version, so it is a poor fit for mixed-device households or teams. Its strengths are typography, animation, and a workflow built around Areas, Projects, Headings, and the Today view; the Magic Plus button and drag-to-reschedule gestures make daily planning fast once learned. Pricing is a one-time purchase per platform: roughly $9.99 for iPhone, $19.99 for iPad, and $49.99 for Mac, with no subscription. That is attractive over several years, but you pay again for each device and there is no team collaboration beyond shared to-dos in Reminders. Things 3 lacks native calendar integration (it shows calendar events read-only via a workaround) and has no built-in habit tracking or Pomodoro. Choose it if you are fully in Apple's ecosystem, value craft over cross-platform reach, and prefer paying once.

Microsoft To Do: The Free Microsoft 365 Companion

Microsoft To Do is the pragmatic pick for anyone already paying for Microsoft 365. It is free with a Microsoft account, syncs across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and the web, and integrates with Outlook Tasks and Microsoft Planner in team contexts. The My Day view, which lets you pull tasks into a focused daily list, is genuinely useful and less rigid than a full GTD setup. Steps, reminders, due dates, file attachments, and shared lists are included at no cost, and the app is included in Microsoft 365 Personal (about $69.99 per year) and Family plans, though it does not require them. Weaknesses: the interface has seen few major updates, natural-language input is limited, there is no built-in calendar view, and advanced filtering is basic. It is not a power-user tool, but for households and office workers who want a dependable free list that ties into Outlook, it is hard to beat on cost.

Any.do: Simplicity With a Calendar and WhatsApp Reminders

Any.do targets people who find most task managers too complicated. Its core flow—add a task, set a reminder, see it in a clean list—is fast, and the built-in calendar view and daily planner make it feel more like a personal assistant than a database. A distinctive feature is WhatsApp reminders, which let you receive task nudges inside a messaging app many users already check constantly. The free plan covers basic tasks, lists, and reminders but limits some calendar and collaboration features. Premium costs about $3 per month billed annually (around $36 per year) and adds unlimited file attachments, custom themes, location-based reminders, and advanced recurring tasks; a Family plan covers up to five people. Weaknesses: less powerful project organization than Todoist or TickTick, fewer integrations, and a design that prioritizes simplicity over depth. It suits individuals and small families who want low friction and do not need labels, filters, or complex workflows.

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